Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Switch 2 Update: 39GB Patch Details

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Store links: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on Steam

A 39GB download lands one day after launch

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has received a new Switch 2 update, and the immediate pain point is the download size. My Nintendo News reported that the latest update requires 39GB of free storage on Nintendo Switch 2, citing player reports from the r/NintendoSwitch2 subreddit. GoNintendo and GameRant also reported the same 39GB figure, with GameRant describing the size as based on multiple user reports.

That makes the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Switch 2 update a storage story as much as a patch story. According to My Nintendo News, the game now takes up 91.3GB on Switch 2 after the additional update. GameRant reported the same post-update figure and added useful context: the final install size is only modestly above the 84.9GB size it says was listed in Nintendo eShop data before launch, suggesting much of the download may be replacing existing files rather than stacking 39GB on top of the full install.

Activision has since published official patch notes for the October 24 update, as carried by Nintendo Life, but the notes do not list a Switch 2-specific file size in the supplied source material. So the clean read is this: the 39GB download is reported by Nintendo-focused outlets and players, while the contents of the update are confirmed through Activision’s patch notes.

The official MW4 Switch 2 patch notes are fixes, not new content

Activision’s October 24 patch notes describe the update as “another round of fixes and improvements” for Modern Warfare 4, covering Multiplayer and DMZ. Nintendo Life reported that Activision released the official notes for what it called a “small update” available across all platforms.

The word “small” needs context. In content terms, the update is small: there are no new maps, weapons, modes, or balance changes listed in the supplied patch notes. In download terms on Switch 2, players are dealing with a reported 39GB transfer, which is a very different kind of small if your storage is already tight.

The biggest confirmed changes are stability fixes across all modes, multiple UI and loadout corrections, weapon visual fixes, a spawn adjustment for Hijack, and several Multiplayer and DMZ bug fixes. For a competitive shooter on a new Nintendo platform, that is the exact kind of early cleanup you expect after launch. It is less exciting than a meta shake-up, but it hits areas that can directly affect match flow, class reliability, and whether a session crashes out before the scoreboard settles.

Hijack spawns get attention, and that is the competitive change to watch

For Multiplayer, the most important confirmed gameplay-adjacent change is Activision’s note that it “improved spawn locations and respawn timing in Hijack.” That is the patch line I would test first. Spawns control pacing, streak potential, revenge routes, and whether a close map turns into readable pressure or random backshots.

The patch also fixes a Search and Destroy issue where players could defuse the bomb from an unintended distance or position. That matters because Search and Destroy lives on information discipline. If a defuse angle is broken, the round economy gets poisoned fast. Activision also fixed an issue where the Portable Radar Field Upgrade would not display the minimap while active in Hardcore matches, a Rooftops bug that allowed the Deathstalker Killstreak to travel outside map boundaries, and a Collateral issue where players’ Favorite Operators were not properly equipped.

There is also a smaller but useful clarity change: Weapon Prestiging and Player Prestiging are unavailable while actively searching for a match, and Activision says the UI has been updated to make that clearer. That is not a gunfight fix, but it cuts down on one of the worst kinds of friction in a lobby-based shooter: thinking the game is bugged when it is actually blocking an action by design.

The global fixes target menus, loadouts, and weapon presentation

The global section of Activision’s notes starts with stability. The company says it fixed several crash and stability issues for a better experience across all modes. The supplied notes do not break those fixes down by platform, so there is no confirmed claim that Switch 2 received a unique crash fix. What is confirmed is that the update applies across platforms and stability is a headline category.

A lot of the rest is front-end cleanup. Activision says it fixed DMZ Stash options appearing in the middle of the screen, front-end menus closing unexpectedly, Finishing Move effects continuing after returning to Create a Class, and DMZ Weapon Builds incorrectly appearing as usable in Core Multiplayer. The notes also mention a PC-specific Split keybind issue, which is part of the cross-platform patch but obviously not a Switch 2 control concern.

Loadout trust is another theme. Activision says the update fixes an issue where applying certain camos or reticles in DMZ Gunsmith could deduct DMZ cash, an issue where editing a loadout could cause a non-melee weapon to appear in the melee slot of the in-game Loadout menu, and an issue where weapon attachments would not automatically reset when Prestiging in Gunsmith. On the weapon side, the notes list a fix for an incorrect attachment that could be equipped to the M4 and cause a muzzle visual bug, plus a visual issue where bullets could appear to float inside empty or partially used magazines for the La Sombra Venenosa Blueprint.

DMZ fixes are aimed at lost progress and bad extraction friction

The DMZ notes are especially important because extraction modes punish bugs harder than standard respawn playlists. If a menu glitch eats money or a party action marks an operator MIA, that is not a harmless visual hiccup.

Activision says the update fixes more areas where players could become stuck in rocks on Hajin. It also fixes an issue where Party Leaders could pull teammates out of DMZ without their consent, causing Active Duty Operators to be marked as MIA. That is the kind of bug that can burn trust inside a squad because the affected player pays the price for someone else’s action.

The official notes also list fixes for objective markers appearing on the wrong enemy during the Obtain Code steps of the Dark Zone Story Mission, an out-of-bounds issue in the FOB, and incorrect data displaying on looted Dog Tags and Bounties. Nintendo Life’s supplied excerpt begins another DMZ line about the Exfil helicopter but cuts off before the full fix is visible, so the specific helicopter change should not be overstated from that excerpt alone.

Storage is now part of the Switch 2 buying decision

Modern Warfare 4 is a major return for Call of Duty on Nintendo hardware. GameRant notes that it is the first new series entry on a Nintendo system in 13 years, since Call of Duty: Ghosts launched on Wii U in 2013. That return brings a modern Call of Duty patch pipeline with it, and Switch 2 players are seeing the tradeoff immediately.

My Nintendo News framed the update as the kind of large download that longtime Call of Duty players on other platforms already know well. GoNintendo wrote that the size may not surprise Call of Duty veterans but could represent a significant portion of available Switch 2 storage, especially for players who have not added a MicroSD Card. My Nintendo News also warned that, with Call of Duty updates usually coming weekly, the game could become a very large storage commitment over time. That is an outlet’s expectation based on franchise update cadence, not an official Activision schedule in the supplied material.

The practical guidance is simple: if you are installing Modern Warfare 4 on Switch 2, plan around both the current install and future free-space headroom. The reported post-update size is 91.3GB, and the update itself reportedly needed 39GB available. Even if downloads replace existing files, the console still has to make room to process them. If you are juggling multiple large games, Modern Warfare 4 is now a title you build storage around rather than squeeze in at the end.

Matchmaking comments set expectations for multiplayer friction

The other major Modern Warfare 4 conversation right now is matchmaking. Kotaku reported that Multiplayer creative director Joe Cecot told IGN, “I don’t know if there’s perfecting it,” while discussing Call of Duty matchmaking. Cecot said the team can look at data, quantify negative effects on groups of players, and that the end goal is for “every match” to be a good match. He also said the team was not discussing exact specifics on matchmaking.

Kotaku’s report says Modern Warfare 4 has seemingly shipped with SBMM-style matchmaking in effect, despite alternative options being available during the beta. That wording matters: Kotaku is describing how the shipped playlist structure appears to players, while Cecot’s direct comments are broader and do not lay out the exact matchmaker rules.

For players searching Call of Duty Switch 2 matchmaking, the realistic expectation is that the current system will remain a live argument, not a solved problem. Skill-based matchmaking can produce tighter lobbies, but Kotaku notes the common tradeoffs players complain about, including longer waits and potential connection or latency compromises when the system works harder to find similarly skilled opponents. Open matchmaking can get you into games quickly, but it can also create lopsided matches.

On Switch 2, that discussion sits alongside the patch itself. Better Hijack spawns and fixed Search and Destroy exploits can improve match quality inside the round. Matchmaking decides the kind of lobby you enter before the first shot is fired. Cecot’s comments suggest Infinity Ward is looking at data and player outcomes, but they do not promise a perfected system or an immediate return to the beta’s broader options. If you are jumping in now, expect a live-service shooter in its launch cleanup phase: a huge download, a fix-heavy patch, and a multiplayer ecosystem still being argued over by the people playing it every night.